Lets say I want to drag a T rig or C rig or a jig on the bottom. How can this possibly be done when fishing down hill?

I mean you are sitting a certain distance from the bank,and lets say the water your throwing into is 2 feet and the water your boat is siting in is 12 ft.

Your only gonna have so much line out and on the retrieve your bait will lose contact with the bottom,theres no way around that fact(or is there). By taking the bait off the bottom,are you moving the bait out of the strike zone?.

Seems to me the only way to fish a bait that you want to have maintain contact with the bottom and in the strike zone,is to fish Uphill...Am I right?

If instead of casting at a 90* angle to the bank you cast at say a 45* angle or less you can better control the baits desent as you pull it "down hill".   In doing this you can take some or even all the grade out of the bank.  The less the angle the less the bait will tumble down the bank.

Also if you fish it on a semi-slack line and/or just shake it instead of pulling or hoping the bait on a tight line you will get a slower movement down the bank. 

I have success going both ways (and that only applies to fishing 8-) )

When targeting spooky fish in really clear water, up hill is my direction of choice. I especially like to position in very shallow water, often right by the bank. Fish seem to get used to being approached from the "Lake" side of a drop and often times will respond better to a bait coming "the other way".

A-Jay

I have success going both ways (and that only applies to fishing 8-) )

When targeting spooky fish in really clear water, up hill is my direction of choice. I especially like to position in very shallow water, often right by the bank. Fish seem to get used to being approached from the "Lake" side of a drop and often times will respond better to a bait coming "the other way".

A-Jay

Suuuuuuuuuuuurrreee

If instead of casting at a 90* angle to the bank you cast at say a 45* angle or less you can better control the baits desent as you pull it "down hill". In doing this you can take some or even all the grade out of the bank. The less the angle the less the bait will tumble down the bank.

Also if you fish it on a semi-slack line and/or just shake it instead of pulling or hoping the bait on a tight line you will get a slower movement down the bank.

Exactly. A heavier bait (with a faster rate of fall) will also help in keeping contact as you work down hill.

When working a lure down hill (boat positioned deep, casting shallow) you will run out of line before you run out of bottom regardless of lure weight.

There is no "right" or "wrong" answer, it depends a lot on the slope degree.

When working a lure down hill (boat positioned deep, casting shallow) you will run out of line before you run out of bottom regardless of lure weight.

Catt this has not been my experience, unless fishing very steep drops in very deep water.

Lots of slack line.

When working a lure down hill (boat positioned deep, casting shallow) you will run out of line before you run out of bottom regardless of lure weight.

Only if the break is steeper than 60°.  I do agree that fishing uphill works well.  In some places, it just isn't practical.  Mountain lakes with sheer bluffs that drop straight down 20 feet or more are one example.  You don't want to be right over the fish since you'll spook them, and there's really no way to fish uphill.  Just gotta pay out enough slack line.

It depends a lot on where on the structure the bass are located; if they are on top you don't want to be positioned on top.

In the situation I described above, no you don't.  But on Erie, my avatar came from straight below me.  The fish were at the base of a break.  We fished for them "in the cone" of the graph.  Could actually see the fish come to the bait.  Reminded me of ice fishing with a flasher.

Position your boat parallel to the depth or break you want to focus on and fan cast as you move along it. If you have a depth finder turn on the alarm so as you can follow the specific break you want. Fancasting that break allows you to cover the fish uphill and down hill, at varying angles...

now if you are fishing bluffs...different story altogether.

forgot to answer your original question...yes fishing downhill is not a problem so long as the degree is not to extreme...